“There wasn’t a label or anything on the disk?”
“Nothing. That’s why I played it before all the others. I wasn’t even sure it was a game until I put it in Eddie. When I saw how outstanding the graphics were, I decided to try it out.” Connie paced across the room."I did think it strange that someone would send me a game without any instructions or even a note."
Running her hand through her wavy hair, Delta sighed. “So, there’s some wacko out there who has sent you a game that he is re-enacting out on the streets.”
“I’m afraid so. What we don’t know is if he is leading the game or following it. That’s where he has us. So far, I’m a few steps behind.”
Weary, brain-tired, sick to her stomach, and emotionally exhausted, Delta bowed her head and rubbed the back of her sore neck. “Who on earth could think up such a thing? And more importantly, why?”
Moving over to the door, Connie shrugged. “Someone with an extraordinary mixture of intellect and insanity.”
Delta rose and joined Connie at the door. “Miles once told me there were only four reasons why people murder: money, revenge, passion, and silence. Which is it for our psychopath?”
Connie shrugged again. “I’d rule out money.”
“Why?”
“Did you get a good look at that dagger? It was valued over one-hundred thousand dollars. If our killer was after money, he had an entire pharmacy full of drugs that had a street value of thousands of dollars. No, I’d rule out money.”
Delta nodded. “Yeah, if he wanted money, he would have gone after Mrs. Griffin. She’s loaded.”
“Right.”
“And silence?”
“If he wanted to silence someone, he’d probably do it so that the body was never found. You have to keep in mind, we’re probably not dealing with your everyday murderer. I believe he left the dagger in Friedman’s body as a clue. Whoever he is, he’s a game player, Delta. It’s the game he’s enjoying, not the murders themselves.”
“Then it’s revenge or passion.”
“Or both.”
Inhaling deeply, Delta held Connie’s hand. “Can you get in this back door?”
“I’ll give it my best. Even if I do, that doesn’t guarantee we’ll have any more answers than we have now.”
Delta looked past Connie’s shoulder and saw herself in the mirror. A killer on the loose was a frightening thing, but one who was playing games with the cops was beyond Delta’s comprehension.
“Con?”
“Yeah?”
“I want him. And I want us to do whatever we have to do to get him.”
“I know, Del, I know.”
Gina set a pot of coffee and some sandwiches on the table, before throwing an afghan over a sleeping Megan. “Let me get this straight—the actions of the game are happening on the street?”
Connie and Delta nodded in unison. “Someone knows I play these adventure games, and he made sure I received that disk.”
Gina sat down and rested her chin in her hand. “That would presuppose that the killer knows you. Swell.”
Connie reached over and set her hand down on top of Gina’s free hand. They had been together so long they were like bookends, with volumes of stories about their life together tucked neatly in between.
“I sure feel safe now,” Gina said sarcastically, scooting closer to Connie.
Connie wrapped her arms around Gina. “More than likely the killer knows me, yes. It would be too much of a coincidence to think otherwise.”
“So, what does that mean?”
“It means he’s done his homework. It means he is aware of just how far along in the game I am.”
“It means,” Delta added, “That it’s someone we know.”
“Are you talking about another cop?”
Connie shrugged. “Maybe. Wouldn’t be the first time.” Connie shot a knowing look over to Delta.
“So, what now?” Fear was almost tangible as the words came out of Gina’s mouth.
“Well, it isn’t time to panic or make irrational decisions,” Connie answered. “What we have to do is start the game over to make sure I haven’t missed any vital clues.”
Delta nodded. “We have to retrace the murders and see what the correlation is between them and the game. This disk may be our only shot at catching the perp.”
“So, we have to move backwards in order to move forward.”
Connie nodded and moved over to her computer desk. Flipping various buttons on, Connie waited for the game’s introduction to appear before pausing the game. “I’ve taken a good look at the disk, and this is a home job made by someone using very advanced equipment. There are no labels, no copyright numbers, no nothing. The perp was very careful to leave out any identifying marks.”
“Yet, it was sent to you at work.” Gina walked over to the desk and pulled a chair over next to Connie.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Got any ideas?” Grabbing Connie’s hand, Gina held it in her lap.
“I don’t want to rule anyone out, but it’s highly unlikely it’s any of our guys at the station.”
“What makes you so sure?”
Connie grinned. “If any of them were half as good at computers as I am, I’d know. We would all know. It took a remarkable computer talent to be able to put together this kind of program with the graphics he’s installed. we’re not dealing with someone who dabbles with computers. This is someone who really knows his stuff.”
“But we’re still not ruling anyone out,” Delta stated. She’d been burned once by her brothers in blue. She would never let that happen again.
“No, we’re not. What we are going to do is make sure I haven’t missed anything in the game, and then try to see if there’s a back door.” Connie fluffed up her back pillow and released the pause button. “We’ll have to take turns manipulating Dori around, because my eyes get tired and my wrists start to ache. So just watch for the next hour or so and see how the game is played. Gina, you’ll take down all of the words and instructions on the screen so we can refer back to them.”
“What do you want me to do, Con?”
“Watch carefully, Delta. People’s lives may depend on how well you understand the game.”
When the music and introduction to the game came on, Delta read the title out loud. “
Death on S.U.P. Mylo.
Odd title.”
“Odd character.”
“Here’s the rest of the intro. `A sinister force has taken over the palace of Sabine. Young Dori was outside the palace walls when the city was besieged by the great and powerful Dark Lord. The Dark Lord wants to rule the almighty city of S.U.P. Mylo, but the forces of the Dark Lord demand the shedding of innocent blood before he can set foot at the bottom of the Great Mountain and claim his prize.
“ ‘You are Dori—young and wise warrior, who was out practicing with the blade your father left you, when the Dark Lord and his minions captured the palace and the city of Sabine. Only you can save the Sabines from the wrath of the evil Dark Lord. But first, you must enter into deadly combat against the wild and vicious creatures inhabiting the forest around the foothills of the Great Mountain. Once you are successful, you will then have to face the final challenge—the evil powers of the Dark Lord himself. Only if you defeat him will the sacrifice of innocent lives cease and the world be restored to normal.
“ ‘To defeat the Dark Lord, you must cautiously use every skill at your disposal, both mental and physical. You may find allies along the path, but
beware!
Only a champion of outstanding worth can battle the Dark Lord. If you succeed in defeating the Dark Lord, the Dark Force surrounding the city will be lifted. If you fail, all of Sabine will be destroyed by the Dark Lord’s unforgiving wrath, and you will have sacrificed your life in vain. Choose your champion well. Good luck.’ ”
Delta studied the words carefully before they disappeared from the screen. The twinge in her stomach was much like the one she felt when she thought someone was watching her investigation of the chauffeur’s death. Could these two forces of reality and fantasy be so intricately related?
“Got it all,” Gina said, as she employed her shorthand so that later she could transcribe the information.
In the quiet of the evening, Delta watched in awe as Connie maneuvered little Dori from one peril to the next, swiftly hacking any creatures coming toward her and jumping over lesser threats.
“You’re really good,” Delta murmured, watching the ease with which Dori escaped potentially hazardous situations.
Half an hour later, they were facing the fifty-headed beast, and Connie finally leaned back in the chair and watched as Dori tricked the beast into eating the poison.
“So far, so good.”
Delta nodded and watched Gina jot down notes. Delta wondered what she’d have said two weeks ago if someone had told her that she’d be involved in a computer game and that her involvement might save lives.
With the battle ax in little Dori’s hands, Connie started moving her toward the door.
Suddenly, Delta bolted upright. “Wait!”
“What?”
Images of an alley, a trash can, a man in black, a shiny object humming as it whirled past her ear swam freely in the forefront of her mind’s eye. But it wasn’t what she was seeing that was important—it was what she wasn’t seeing. The killer hadn’t been carrying the ax when she chased after him.
“The ax!” Delta announced.
“What about it?”
“He didn’t have it when I was chasing him in the alley.”
“Are you sure?”
Delta nodded. “How else could he have thrown that star at me? Yes, I’m positive he didn’t have it.”
Connie paused the game, and the music stopped as well. “Then what happened to it?”
Delta thought back to the details of that call. “He came through the front door because that’s what set the alarms ringing. But he exited out the side window and into the alley. I don’t know where he put the ax, but it wasn’t in the store when we arrived, and he didn’t have it in his hands.”
“Maybe he hid it and came for it later. Or maybe he came back for something else.” Restarting the game, Connie made Dori shove the ax through a different opening than the one Dori used as an entrance. “I didn’t even look to see if there was another way out.”
“How about that little porthole thing right there?” Gina asked, pointing to the screen with her pencil.
As Dori neared the opening, the screen suddenly changed, and Dori was standing in a darkened tunnel. “Bingo,” Connie said, smiling.
“Bingo?”
Connie nodded. “I haven’t been here before. This may be where some clues are hidden.”
Delta leaned against the back of the chair. “This is frightening. So far, the game mimics my every move.”
Connie stopped maneuvering Dori and stared at Delta. “My God, Del, that might be it. Maybe you’re the key to this whole thing.”
“Well, let’s go and see where she takes us!” Gina said.
As Dori moved down to the end of the tunnel, she came to a group of what appeared to be cardboard boxes stacked a little higher than she.
“Maybe this is it.”
Connie licked her lips, but said nothing.
For the next fifteen minutes, Connie had Dori stomp, kick, hit,
pounce, rip, open, and sit on the boxes, all to no avail.
Delta exhaled her disappointment. Just when they thought they were getting somewhere. “Damn. I thought we had something.”
“We do,” Connie offered, staring at the monitor. “We just don’t know what it is yet.”
Hearing the spring of the couch move, Delta swung around in her chair to gaze at Megan, who was rising from the couch. Delta greeted her with open arms and kissed her sleep-crinkled cheek. “Did we wake you, hon?”
Megan cast Delta one of her killer smiles. “Oh, no. Stomp ’em! Chop ’em up! and other assorted commands actually added to my sleeping enjoyment.” Megan bent down and kissed the top of Delta’s head. “I thought I was dreaming about a rodeo or something.”
Delta blushed. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I have an eight o’clock class anyway.” Leaning over to see the monitor, Megan squinted to get a better look. “How are you faring against the evil forces of the world?”
“Not great.”
“What exactly were you trying to kick, hit, and bite?”
Connie leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. “Just a bunch of boxes. Dumb, old boxes, and we’re stumped. There’s got to be a clue here somewhere.”
“Well, hang in there, good and wise forces,” Megan winked at Connie, who grinned. “I’m sure you’ll get it. I think I’m going to pop in and take a shower, if you don’t mind.”
As Megan moved down the hall, she offered one last line over her shoulder. “If I were playing that game, I’d try reading the box. You know, maybe it’s UPS or Fed Ex or something. I don’t know. Gina, will you help me find something in your closet I can wear in place of this wrinkled shirt?”
As Gina rose, Delta and Connie stared at each other. Then, ever so slowly, as if they were afraid it might not be the answer they were looking for, Connie typed in R-E-A-D. She glanced over at Delta and grinned before pressing the return button. “She might have something, you know.”
“Press the damn thing.”